Advice for Saints and Stoke fans and the latest on flooding across the area

FLOODING is continuing to cause havoc in parts of Hampshire today, prompting warnings and advice for residents and football fans.

Highways bosses have urged Southampton and Stoke fans with tickets for this afternoon’s match at St Mary’s to avoid junction 5 of the M27 as flooding there is expected to cause congestion.

However iearlier today, Southampton City Council’s highways teams announced that Mansbridge Road, in Mansbridge, has been reopened, despite warnings yesterday that it could be closed for up to five days.

They warn that while river levels remain high and that closure again is possible if the situation changes, a safety inspection this morning as given the green light to open.

The warning to football fans comes after many of the county’s roads have been submerged in water over the last 48 hours as the region was battered by heavy rain and high winds.

In Fordingbridge this afternoon, parents at the local junior school have been rallying round to help fill sandbags as the site was submerged in water following heavy downpours over night.

And with yet more downpours forecast for today, those already battling to protect their homes are bracing themselves for the worst.

Greatbridge Road, in Romsey, is still closed today after highways teams were forced to shut the busy route due to rising water levels and Bridge Street, in Titchfield, is also closed due to flooding at the B3334 Titchfield Road junction.

In Romsey, residents in six homes had to be evacuated last night as rising water breached their homes.

The householders living in Budds Lane were asked to leave their properties around 6pm.

This morning some were returning to see what damage the rising water had caused and to take items from their homes.

Parents rallied together this morning to stop a Hampshire school from flooding.

Fordingbridge Junior School is surrounded by water and parents have collected sandbags to barricade front door of the building.

One onlooker said the school was surrounded like a lagoon.

Springvale Road and Lovedon Lane in Kingsworthy have been closed due to the flooding.

Meanwhile in Winchester flood waters continue to cause concern for residents as water levels have not backed down since yesterday.

With even more rain forecast for the next 24 hours residents are being urged to do all they can to prepare for a possible repeat of the flooding that caused chaos for many houses back in 2001.

Winchester and the surrounding villages received an average of 13.5mm of rainfall over the last twelve hours.

Residents in Twyford have been advised to avoid using their dishwashers and flushing their toilets as a result of backed up sewage and some houses in Hursley were pumping water from their cellars well into yesterday evening.

The bottom of Beeches Hill in Bishop’s Waltham has been flooded as has parts of Owsleybury Bottom, Meonstoke, Tichborne, North Boarhunt, Micheldever, Cheriton, Bramdean, Exton, Hambledon and Down Farm Lane in Headbourne Worthy.